Gabriel Escobar Ayala appointed auxiliary bishop of Asunción

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Mons. Gabriel Narciso Escobar Ayala, SDB, as the new auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Asunción in Paraguay. The announcement was made on Friday, August 28, by the Vatican Press Office and the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference.

Escobar Ayala, 55, has served as the Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of the Paraguayan Chaco since 2013. In his new role, he will assist the Archbishop of Asunción, Cardinal Adalberto Martínez Flores.

Born in Asunción in 1971, Escobar was ordained a priest in 2001 as a member of the Salesians. His career includes various administrative and educational roles within Salesian institutions and leadership positions within the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference, including roles related to missionary animation, human mobility, and consecrated life.